Sports and Your Feet in CT

Athletes are notoriously hard on all parts of their body, but in particular their feet and ankles. From football to basketball to running, when you participate in any sporting event you need to be looking out for your feet. Let Jeffrey S. Kahn, DPM and his staff at Connecticut Foot Care Centers in Rocky Hill and Middletown take care of you!

Thursday, May 29, 2014

The replays from Saturday night's UFC 173 match of Jamie Varner and James Krause were gruesome to look at. Krause landed an early leg kick that eventually caused Varner to break his ankle. Varner rolled his ankle three times in the first round without being touched by Krause and continued the fight. He told the referee after the sounding of the first bell that his ankle was broken and he could not continue. UFC president Dana White praised Varner for continuing the fight even when he was clearly injured. "Usually they'll quit, guys will tap out and say 'ahhh, I broke my ankle'," White said. "There was no quit in that kid. That's one of those situations where he kept going. That's a tough one."Varner, a former WEC lightweight champion later tweeted that he suffered two fractures and torn ligaments in his ankle. He had to be helped to the corner after the fight, since he could not put any weight on the leg. White continued his praise, saying, "By the end of the round he's like, 'that's it, I'm done'. He fought that whole round. The corner didn't throw in the towel, the ref didn't stop the fight, but he wasn't complaining either. You'll see guys, lesser things happen and guys try to stop. Varner is all heart, and that's a tough one."Krause (21-5) has improved to 2-1 since signing with the UFC. His last match was a TKO loss to Bobby Green in November that ended his eight-fight win streak. "The very first kick I threw, I felt it hit my shin," Krause said. "We worked this camp on kicking the calf so he couldn't catch my kicks and take me down."Jamie is such a good competitor and it was an honor to fight him... I am sorry it ended like it did."References: MMA Fighting and Fight Line. If you are a boxer with a foot or ankle problem, call our Rocky Hill or Middletown office to make an appointment.Jeffrey S. Kahn, DPMConnecticut Foot Care CentersSports Medicine Podiatrist in CTPodiatrist in Rocky Hill and Middletown, CTVisit our website, follow my tweets on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook.

Wednesday, May 28, 2014

A note to all athletes: it's all well and good to celebrate after a good win or victory, but keep it under control. Take A. J. Ellis, Los Angeles Dodgers catcher: Ellis severely sprained his ankle on Sunday in Philadelphia while celebrating Josh Beckett's no-hitter. Ellis rushed to the mound to celebrate with his teammates and stepped on the discarded mask of backup Drew Butera, who caught the major's first no-hitter of the season. Pedro Moura of the Orange County Register tweeted, "Ellis jumped up and landed on Butera's discarded catcher's gear during the celebration." "I wanted to be a part of it," Ellis said. "It's a great day, a great experience to be a part of. I quickly lost my thrill for what happened. Rolled it pretty good. I'm beyond frustrated, still kind of shocked."Ellis was scheduled to see the team physician on Monday; no update has been provided. His ankle was treated throughout the flight home, using ice and compression."Getting off the plane I was feeling pretty good, but this morning as they predicted, it was hard moving around once I got up," he said. Ellis was put on the 15-day DL on Monday. He had arthroscopic knee surgery in April and had a short-lived return to the field on May 14th. Ellis has not had a stellar start to his season, hitting .170/.350/.213 (65 OPS+) with more walks (12) than strikeouts (10). The Dodgers recalled Tim Federowicz from Class AAA Albuquerque, where he was hitting .298 in 17 games. Federowicz played 13 games for the Dodgers in April.Manager Don Mattingly admitted that Ellis's injury was poor timing, but believes that Butera or Federowicz can fill his shoes. Butera started Monday night at home against the Cincinnati Reds. The team is currently 27-24, sitting 5.5 games behind the San Francisco Giants in the National League West. For the team to catch up to the Giants they will need a healthy Ellis. The moral of this story is that while it's good to celebrate with your teammates, it's even better to watch where you are going. References: Bleacher Report, USA Today, and CBS Sports. If you are a baseball player with a foot or ankle problem, call our Rocky Hill or Middletown office to make an appointment.Jeffrey S. Kahn, DPMConnecticut Foot Care CentersSports Medicine Podiatrist in CTPodiatrist in Rocky Hill and Middletown, CTVisit our website, follow my tweets on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook.

Sunday, May 25, 2014

First it was Jose Abreu with his posterior tibial tendonitis, and now it is Matt Lindstrom who needs ankle surgery. Chicago White Sox closer Lindstrom returned to Chicago on Tuesday to undergo tests on his injured left ankle and was placed on the 15-day disabled list, making him the eighth White Sox player (currently six) to spend time on the disabled list this season. He sustained the injury to his sublexing peroneal tendon (located on the outside of his ankle) when he attempted to field Alcides Escobar's bunt in the ninth inning of Chicago's 7-6 win over the Royals on Monday night. At the time White Sox manager Robin Ventura said, "We don't know the full extent of it; we know it was enough to go on the DL. He wasn't walking good. We know he's not going to be with us for at least a couple of weeks."Ventura and pitching coach Don Cooper would not name a new closer as they felt a variety of people could take his place. "As of now, we're not just going to name a closer," Ventura said. Wednesday it was discovered that Lindstrom's ankle will require surgery and he will be sidelined at least three months. He was scheduled to have surgery on Friday to repair a tear in the sheath of his ankle. "We'll miss him for a while," Ventura said. Lindstrom, 34, had six saves in nine opportunities with a 3.32 ERA, 1.47 WHIP, and 11 strikeouts in 19 innings this season. He successfully converted his last five save chances. References: CBS Sports, MLB, and MLB. If you are a baseball player with a foot or ankle problem, call our Rocky Hill or Middletown office to make an appointment.Jeffrey S. Kahn, DPMConnecticut Foot Care CentersSports Medicine Podiatrist in CTPodiatrist in Rocky Hill and Middletown, CTVisit our website, follow my tweets on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook.

Saturday, May 24, 2014

Deron Williams of the Brooklyn Nets underwent an MRI last Friday on both of his ankles and he believes that surgery over the summer may be his best option. He met with foot and ankle surgeon Dr. Martin O'Malley on Monday. When asked last Thursday about the possibility of having surgery, Williams said, "I think so. I think it is. Just to clean [stuff out], it's nothing major."Williams has been riddled with ankle injuries during the last two seasons, receiving multiple cortisone shots and platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injections for the pain, but the problem still lingers. "I feel like I've kind of let people down, so I don't like feeling like that," Williams said. "I take my job seriously, I work hard in the offseason, I work hard every day. It's just real frustrating not to be able to play how I'm capable of playing."Williams' focus this summer is getting healthy and returning to his former All-Star form. "I used to step on the court and feel like I was the best player no matter who I played against, so I gotta get back to that," he said. "Even if I'm not the best player on the court, I gotta feel like I am."In January Williams received a cortisone shot and a PRP injection in both of his ankles. Prior to Game 7 of the team's first-round series against the Toronto Raptors Williams got another round of a cortisone shot and an anti-inflammatory injection. Last season Williams received three rounds of cortisone shots and a PRP injection because of the inflammation in his ankle. "I have been worried about [getting so many cortisone shots]," Williams joked. "I've had a lot."In 64 regular season games Williams averaged 14.3 points and 6.1 assists on 45 percent shooting. In the playoffs he averaged 14.5 points and 5.8 assists on 39.5 percent shooting in 12 games. Williams turns 30 on June 26th and struggled against the Miami Heat, shooting just 1-for-11 from the field in the fourth quarter of the second-round series, which lasted five games. Williams has three years and $63.1 million left on his contract with the Nets."Both years have been tough on me," Williams said. "I just feel like I haven't been able to play the way I want to since I've been here, really. And so it's just been tough, it's been tough to swallow, but hopefully can figure things out and get back to playing like I want to play."Reference: ESPNIf you are a basketball player with a foot or ankle problem, call our Rocky Hill or Middletown office to make an appointment.Jeffrey S. Kahn, DPMConnecticut Foot Care CentersSports Medicine Podiatrist in CTPodiatrist in Rocky Hill and Middletown, CTVisit our website, follow my tweets on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook.

Friday, May 23, 2014

Second-round pick Cody Latimer has been taking it easy during the Denver Broncos' rookie minicamp. Latimer is recovering from surgery to repair a fractured fifth metatarsal. Latimer had the surgery on January 19th and missed all but the bench press at the NFL scouting combine in late February. However, at Indiana's pro-day session on March 26th, Latimer posted times of 4.39 and 4.43 seconds in the 40-yard dash. During his workout he also had an impressive 39-inch vertical jump.It was likely these numbers, along with the Broncos previous experience with wide receivers Demaryius Thomas and Eric Decker, that helped the team believe he would fully recover, even though it means he would take it easier as a rookie. "All in all we're going to be smart with his foot and he's doing just fine," Head Coach John Fox said. "We were familiar with it and he'll be more involved by Monday."In the meantime Latimer has been taking a few passes, but it not pushing his foot to the point of reinjury. "(I'm) not doing too much cutting," Latimer said. "They're doing a good job of treating me and staying on top of it.'So Latimer has been doing "mental reps" instead, meaning players who must only watch from the sidelines. "I'm eager, but you know that's good. I get to get mental reps and learn from everyone else. Seeing what everyone else is doing and how to get coached up from their mistakes. And hoping that when I come out here and I'm able to run I don't make those mistakes."So I'm doing a lot of learning and doing a lot of mental reps, so it's good for me." Latimer does not expect to start in September, with receivers Thomas, Wes Welker, and Julius Thomas catching 65 or more passes from Peyton Manning last season."I'm here to get on the field, but it's not much of a rush," Latimer said. "I can learn from (the veterans) and don't have to get pushed into the system too early."I'll be on the field when I can, special teams, however I've got to play the field. Like I said, it makes it easier for me having to catch on the offense, not so much of a rush."The team has high hopes for Latimer once he is fully recovered, however. "He's a physical specimen, and when he plays, he plays his size," Offensive Coordinator Adam Gise said. "To see him catch the ball as well as he does and then his blocking is unbelievable. I don't think we've really seen a college guy go after it the way he has in the past, and hopefully he just carries that over to this level."References: Denver Post, Denver Broncos, and NFL.If you are a football player with a foot or ankle problem, call our Rocky Hill or Middletown office to make an appointment.Jeffrey S. Kahn, DPMConnecticut Foot Care CentersSports Medicine Podiatrist in CTPodiatrist in Rocky Hill and Middletown, CTVisit our website, follow my tweets on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook.

Thursday, May 22, 2014

Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Yovani Gallardo is day-to-day after suffering an ankle sprain in Tuesday night's 5-0 loss to the Atlanta Braves.X-rays came back negative and Brewers manager Ron Roenicke said Gallardo's status for his next scheduled start on May 25th against the Miami Marlins is up in the air. "It all depends on how it is tomorrow," Gallardo said yesterday. "It's stiff now, but hopefully it's nothing big."Roenicke moved Gallardo's next bullpen session initially scheduled for today back a day when they hope to have a better idea of his status. Gallardo suffered the injury when he tried to field a chopper off the bat of Julio Teheran at the top of the fourth. He rolled his left ankle while changing directions to react to Teheran's grounder and then landed awkwardly on the same ankle on the front slope of the mound after leaping to catch the ball. "I couldn't tell," Gallardo said regarding when the injury exactly happened. "I know I was just trying to change directions to try to get the ball and it just rolled on me. I mean, it's not the first time it's happened. For some reason, it's always my left ankle."Roenicke and the Brewers trainers went out to help Gallardo, who walked with a significant limp after the play. The right-handed pitcher threw a few pitches to test his ankle before he was pulled from the game. "He wanted to stay in the game," Roenicke said. "Our concern is you have a bad ankle and all of a sudden you land funny and you do something to your arm. It's not worth taking the chance on that to get a couple of extra innings out of him.""I tried, I definitely tried, but it's my landing leg," Gallardo said. "The last thing you need to do is try to overcompensate."The injury stopped Gallardo at 3 1/3 innings, his shortest outing since he lasted just 3 2/3 innings against the Padres on July 25, 2013. His early exit also stopped a 17 straight start streak with at least 5 2/3 innings pitched. Reference: MLBIf you are a baseball player with a foot or ankle problem, call our Rocky Hill or Middletown office to make an appointment.Jeffrey S. Kahn, DPMConnecticut Foot Care CentersSports Medicine Podiatrist in CTPodiatrist in Rocky Hill and Middletown, CTVisit our website, follow my tweets on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook.

Wednesday, May 21, 2014

Jose Abreu and the Chicago White Sox received good news on Monday when a second MRI of the player's left ankle revealed inflammation and no tear. However, he was diagnosed with posterior tibial tendonitis, a progressive condition. This is not a new problem for Abreu, who has had issues with this condition going back to his days playing in Cuba. Even after spending time on the disabled list Abreu may not be 100% when he returns. Abreu, baseball's current home run leader, was sensational in his transition from Cuba to the major leagues in his first seven weeks. He was dealing with issues with his ankle going back to spring training. According to ESPNChicago.com's Doug Padilla, Abreu has been suffering from inflammation in his ankle for the better part of a month, but the condition has been getting progressively worse. It got to the point where Scott Merkin of MLB.com said Abreu was "playing on one leg." He has not played first base since May 8th. Moving Abreu to designated hitter was supposed to help, but that has not been enough to make a difference.The left ankle injury Abreu had during spring training was in a different part of the ankle- front versus back- and shows a deeper problem with movement in the ankle. Abreu's ankle has been in a boot for several days and will be reevaluated tomorrow when the White Sox return for a homestand. The White Sox have an amazing medical team, led by Herm Schneider, who has some of the best results in major league baseball, so Abreu will be in good hands. With Abreu out, Adam Dunn and Paul Konerko will fill in. The posterior tibial tendon serves as one of the major supporting structures of the foot, helping it to function while walking. Posterior tibial tendonitis is a progressive condition that should be treated early before it worsens. The main cause for this condition is overuse. Symptoms typically occur after activities that involve the tendon, such as running, walking, hiking, or climbing stairs. Symptoms of posterior tibial tendonitis include pain, swelling, a flattening of the arch, and an inward rolling of the ankle. As the condition progresses, the symptoms will change. Traditionally when the condition begins, there is pain on the inside of the foot and ankle. The area may be red, swollen, and warm. Later, as the arch begins to flatten, there may still be pain on the inside of the foot and ankle. But at this point, the foot and toes begin to turn outward and the ankle rolls inward.As posterior tibial tendonitis becomes more advanced, the arch flattens even more and the pain often shifts to the outside of the foot, below the ankle. The tendon has deteriorated considerably and arthritis often develops in the foot. In more severe cases, arthritis may also develop in the ankle. Because of the progressive nature of this condition, early treatment is advised. If treated early enough, your symptoms may resolve without the need for surgery and progression of your condition can be arrested. In contrast, untreated posterior tibial tendonitis can leave you with an extremely flat foot, painful arthritis in the foot and ankle, and increasing limitations on walking, running, and other activities. Treatment can begin with non-surgical approaches that may include:

Orthotic devices or bracing

Immobilization

Physical therapy

Medications

Shoe modifications

Surgery may be needed in cases where the condition has progressed significantly or failed to improve with non-surgical treatment. For advanced cases, surgery may be the only option.References: Bleacher Report and Chicago Sun Times. If you are a baseball player with a foot or ankle problem, call our Rocky Hill or Middletown office to make an appointment.Jeffrey S. Kahn, DPMConnecticut Foot Care CentersSports Medicine Podiatrist in CTPodiatrist in Rocky Hill and Middletown, CTVisit our website, follow my tweets on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook.